Essentially the Only One

An idyllic country scene. See Ruth in her canoe, paddling up the placid waters of the Creston Wildlife Area. "See you in 90 minutes", she says as she sets off at 5 p.m.

It's 8 p.m. I'm in Don Taylor's West Creston house, giving a missing person report to the RCMP while Don, a member of the West Creston Volunteer Fire Dept. is rounding up about 20 members to help comb the by-now darkening wetlands. My son David is pacing up and down and I'm giving my birthdate, Ruth's birthdate and all those other little details that emergency service dispatchers require.

9.20 p.m. I'm standing by the fire engine shed of the West Creston Volunteer Fire Dept. as men and women, equipped with radios and flashlights, prepare to search the landscape. Then a call comes in from Constable Jones of the RCMP that he found Ruth. Having emerged shoe-less and canoe-less from the swamp, she waited at the Wildlife Interpretive Center until Constable Jones found her.

Much relief all round. Profuse thanks from me to all I could thank personally, and many thanks are due to Linda who was the first person in the area I found after I become seriously worried about Ruth's absence. A local bird expert and thoroughly knowledgeable in the local landscape, she realised that, with the failing light, the professionals needed to be called in. She also informed me that Ruth's canoe route was essentially unnavigable, and thus it turned out to be. The canoe remains beached in the wetland, along with Ruth's shoes.

Well, all's well that end's well. But it made for a very anxious evening for me and David.